Dallas Cowboys in prime position to trade down in 2021 NFL Draft
If the season ended today, the Dallas Cowboys would pick fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Of course, that's a great spot to be in considering the top two teams might draft quarterbacks, giving the Cowboys second-dibs on any non-quarterback in the class. The Cowboys could draft just about any player that addresses any […]
If the season ended today, the Dallas Cowboys would pick fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Of course, that's a great spot to be in considering the top two teams might draft quarterbacks, giving the Cowboys second-dibs on any non-quarterback in the class. The Cowboys could draft just about any player that addresses any of their top needs; cornerback, offensive line, linebacker, safety. Or of course, they could trade down and get more draft picks.
Everyone wants more picks. Which makes trading down more difficult than it sounds. Seriously, every year every fan base discusses how trading down might be the better option only to find out in April that the phone won't ring with offers.
Yet the 2021 Dallas Cowboys are in a prime position to do so. They're in a very good spot to sell the fourth pick to the highest bidder. This draft class is loaded at the quarterback position. Everyone expects Trevor Lawrence to be drafted by the New York Jets with the first overall pick. After him, who knows if Justin Fields will keep his preseason status as QB2 or if BYU's Zach Wilson will become the second quarterback taken. But a QB will likely be taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars.*
*Note: Of course, the Draft order could change once the season ends. But if the season ended today, the Jets and the Jaguars would be the teams to open the show, per Tankathon.
The point is even after the first couple of quarterbacks are off the board, there will be at least two more that could draw interest as Top 10, maybe even Top 5 picks. Consider Trey Lance out of North Dakota State will also be in the mix.
So we know there will be a supply of quarterbacks, but will there be demand? Short answer, yes. Long answer? There are a lot of teams that could be looking to trade up to get their guy.
For the teams projected closer to the Cowboys' fourth overall pick, you have the Carolina Panthers who even after signing Teddy Bridgewater could be looking for a top prospect like Wilson, Fields, or Lance. You have the Philadelphia Eagles, a team you can't rule out after they benched Carson Wentz over Jalen Hurts. Even the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos could be wildcards in this conversation.
Out of the Top 10, you have the Washington Football Team, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots as candidates to draft a quarterback.
The Dallas Cowboys pick are projected to pick fourth, but we can't dismiss the fact that they might trade down when April comes around. The one concern I'd point out is that as of right now, none of these teams have multiple picks in the first round which makes pricing the Cowboys' pick all the more difficult.
We're a long way from April, but with a draft position such as the one the Cowboys have right now, you can't help being excited about the possibilities this team has to make a major upgrade before the 2021 season.
